


Cloud of Unknowing

by Nocturnal_Introvert



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Fluff, OOC, Romance, the gang misses the boat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 17:43:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9282995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocturnal_Introvert/pseuds/Nocturnal_Introvert
Summary: Deandra Reynolds had always felt out of place in the gang. So, when the gang finally breaks up, finally feeling like she had a place was surprising. The real surprise, however, was who she found her place with.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place the morning after Charlie and Dee (presumably) hooked up in "the Gang Misses the Boat".

Dee woke up and immediately knew something was off. Before she even opened her eyes, in a hazy world halfway between asleep and awake when she was just conscious enough to notice she wasn’t sleeping anymore, she felt it. Maybe it was the odd smells lingering in the air that tipped her off: sleep, dirty laundry, sex, and...cheese? As soon as she realized what had happened she bolted upright and nearly fell out of bed in shock. “Oh my god!” She exclaimed, her mouth agape. Her eyes were nearly bulging out of her head as she looked at the dark haired man still asleep beside her. And for some reason the first thing she thought about was how, if he saw her face right now, he’d probably call her a bird. Everything about this situation was so wrong. Yet, everything about it felt somehow at least somewhat right.

For once, she finally felt like she had someone. She had never felt like she had a place in the gang. No matter what, she always had to fight tooth and nail to even be somewhat involved with them. And when she did get invited along (or invited herself) they were never particularly nice to her. Yet, for some reason, she still thrived on their dynamic. Now that the gang was broken up, which was finally hitting her as reality, she realized how problematic the whole situation was. The gang was a group of very fucked up people who survived off of each other’s fucked upness. There was Frank, a bit senile in his age, rich enough to finance the gang’s shenanigans without any of them facing the reality of poverty due to their own laziness and idiocy, and overall just a weird, racy type of guy. Then there was Mac, a walking contradiction of himself. He was gay, but homophobic. A Catholic, but totally immoral. A conservative as far as politics, but liberal in economics. Overconfident, yet he wanted immense approval. Mac was a giant ball of confusion. He was over the top, quite frankly stupid, and inadvertently hilarious. Looking down on him and his agenda was part of what the group was about. Dee, Dennis, and Charlie disagreed with many things Mac said and bonded in their shared disapproval of his actions and words. Especially as it became more and more obvious he was gay, all the things he said about religion and homophobia were clearly just overcompensation. Then there was Dennis. Dennis almost seemed like he could be a normal guy. But behind his act, there were tons of emotional issues. He was incredibly egotistical and manipulative. Not only did he have extreme anger issues, but he also was a complete sociopath and had no regard or understanding towards other people’s feelings. In fact, the gang secretly, only somewhat jokingly, thought that he might be a serial killer. Most of the time Dennis felt little to nothing. He had no remorse, no shame, no guilt, no problem lying and scheming, even against others in the gang. The only emotions he ever really felt were anger and frustration. And his place in the gang really brought out this side of him at times. But other times, the gang kept him grounded. Surrounded by people even more odd than himself, it wasn’t unusual that he couldn’t relate or empathize with them. It honestly just made him feel better about himself. That, and his anger was usually justified by something stupid they’d done. Out of everyone in the gang, Dennis was probably the one most likely to get by on his own.

And then there were Charlie and Dee. Dee wasn’t sure how it happened, but in such a short time her opinion of him had changed drastically. It helped that they served about the same purpose in the group. Both of them were always the butt of jokes, tried to prove themselves worthy of the gang and craved their attention, and were sometimes left out entirely. They had both grown used to this. It had become a way of life. They expected the mean comments. Dee mentally prepared herself for them beforehand, it became customary. They knew they had to fight for a place, so they were ready for it when need be. They put each other down to avoid being targeted. Both of them tried to use humor to their advantage, but Dee knew it was much easier for Charlie in some ways. The dynamic of the group made it easier for Charlie to be appreciated and accepted, but she knew that he too wasn’t treated the best in the gang and sometimes was ostracized by them. Normally, she felt so anxious around the gang. She and Dennis were a little better when it was just the two of them, but she didn’t see Charlie, Mac, or even Frank alone very often. Needless to say, it was shocking to her that she and Charlie got along so well. She didn’t feel nervous around him. She felt accepted and calm. She felt like she could say what she was really thinking and they could have a heartfelt and meaningful time together. And it was so odd. Maybe it had helped that she tried to walk in his shoes for a day. Maybe it helped that she knew some things about him that were more sad than anything else. But, no matter what it was, all she knew was now, all of a sudden, she cared for Charlie. Still, though, she didn’t want to admit it.

Dee looked around the room nervously, hoping no one had come to her apartment and seen the two of them together. “Charlie, wake up.” She elbowed him in the side roughly, and then cringed in an unsure regret.

Charlie snored loudly, then gasped for air as he woke up. He glared at Dee through tired, blinking eyes and rubbed his ribs. “Ow!” He groaned sleepily. “You’re sharp!” “Sorry! I...Oh my god.” Dee shook her head and laughed weakly. “Is this even real?”

Charlie sat up and looked at her questioningly. Suddenly, he was jolted into reality. “Holy shit...I...whoops?” He jumped out of bed and shimmied sloppily into his jeans. Before he had even zipped them, he was reaching for the door.

“Wait!” Dee whispered harshly.

Charlie turned around. “What?!”

“What if someone is here and sees you?” She asked, raising her eyebrows as if her concern was obvious.

Charlie took a few steps back and plopped back down onto the bed, hiding his face in his hands. “Oh god.” He groaned.

Dee scooted closer to him. “I am so sorry, Charlie. God, this is so weird. I probably ruined everything…”

“You?” Charlie laughed. “I ruined everything! I...I slept with this…” He motioned to her. “This bird! The gang is going to make me eat beaks first for months!” When he saw the hurt look on Dee’s face, he grimaced. “Er...sorry. I forgot. The gang isn’t really a thing anymore is it?”

Dee shrugged. “I mean, I guess not.” She sighed. They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of what they had done heavy on their minds. “What do we even do with ourselves now?”

“Well I guess first, maybe we should figure...this...out.” Charlie suggested, motioning to the two of them.

Deandra groaned. “I guess, yeah.”

Charlie opened his mouth, then paused and sighed pointedly. “I’m gonna be honest here for a second.” He looked at the ground, making a face that was somewhat disgusted, but more confused. “I...didn’t hate it?” Dee sighed in relief.

“Oh my god, right?!” She laughed. “I mean, it was kind of nice.”

Charlie nodded. “It helped that you’re not as bony as you look.” He teased.

“Well, you’re not as disgusting as I thought.” Dee retorted.

“Fair point.” Charlie laughed and stretched. “It was kind of nice staying here with you. I didn’t even have to eat cat food to fall asleep.”

Dee scoffed. “You realize you never have to do that right?”

“You try sleeping when there are hundreds out cats fucking in the alley!”

“Stop, stop!” Deandra begged, laughing slightly. “How about you just stay here for a while, then you don’t have to listen to the cats?”

Charlie thought for a moment. “Maybe.” He decided.

“Should we go to the bar?” Dee asked, looking at her phone, trying to change the subject.

“What’s the point if the gang isn’t a thing anymore?” Charlie questioned.

Dee raised an eyebrow. “Uh, maybe because we have a job?”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to do Charlie work for a gang that doesn’t even exist.” Charlie snapped.

Dee frowned and thought for a moment. “Well...What do we do then?”

Charlie fiddled with his still-down zipper anxiously. “I mean, we could always…”

“Yeah?” The corner of Dee’s lips inched towards a smile, betraying the rest of her body, in which she was trying to come off somewhat aloof and casual. Before she could even realize what was happening, suddenly Charlie’s lips were on hers. They were both gentle, cautious, at first, but soon they became frenzied in an unbeknownst hunger.

Dee moaned quietly into the kiss and pushed Charlie down onto the bed, climbing on top of him and kissing him roughly.

“Wait...wait!” Charlie interrupted, pulling himself back. “Do you think...maybe, just for today, we should go to the bar? Just to see what’s up?”

Dee smiled sheepishly and rolled over next to him. “It’s worth a shot.” She agreed.


End file.
